Developmental emergence of cortical neurogliaform cell diversity.

Abstract

GABAergic interneurons are key regulators of cortical circuit function. Among the dozens of reported transcriptionally distinct subtypes of cortical interneurons, neurogliaform cells (NGC) are unique: recruited by long-range excitatory inputs, source of slow cortical inhibition and able to modulate the activity of large neuronal populations. Despite their functional relevance, the developmental emergence and diversity of NGCs remains unclear. Here, by combining single-cell transcriptomics, genetic fate-mapping, electrophysiological and morphological characterization, we reveal that discrete molecular subtypes of NGCs, with distinctive anatomical and molecular profiles populate the neocortex. Furthermore, we show that NGC subtypes emerge gradually through development, as incipient discriminant molecular signatures are apparent in Preoptic Area (POA) born NGC precursors. By identifying NGC developmentally-conserved transcriptional programs, we report that the transcription factor Tox2 constitutes an identity hallmark across NGC subtypes. Using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genetic loss-of-function, we show that Tox2 is critical for NGC development: POA-born cells lacking Tox2 fail to differentiate into NGCs. Together, these results reveal that NGCs are born from a spatially restricted pool of Tox2+ POA precursors, after which intra-type diverging molecular programs are gradually acquired post-mitotically and result in functionally and molecularly discrete NGC cortical subtypes.